


Anonymous

by coopbastian



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anonymity, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 09:23:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5823205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coopbastian/pseuds/coopbastian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: “omg apparently you’re the person who sends me anons on tumblr to check up on me tysm” AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anonymous

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fastestmanalive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fastestmanalive/gifts).



> Previously posted on tumblr @flashsvibe for @rickcosnctt

Barry should’ve expected this, and yet, here he was, sitting at his laptop and hiding his face in his hands. There was a certain someone he’d been sending anonymous messages on tumblr for the past several weeks, a particular guy who lived down the hall of the same dorm. 

The guy was Cisco–really cute and smart and talented–and sometime during their daily tumblr message exchange, Barry had developed a crush on him. 

Barry really should’ve expected this. 

–

He found Cisco’s blog on accident sometime during the first month college started. The two ran into each other during orientation, but every time they saw each other in the dorms or the hallways of campus, Barry could not form the words to actually speak to him. 

And after going through various tags on the blogging site, Barry found a particularly fantastic Dragon Age fanart. Barry clicked on the blog that posted the drawing to check out some more stuff from them and the blogger’s name was apparently “Cisco.” 

It had to be the same Cisco, Barry convinced himself as he ended up going through pages and pages of his blog–he should’ve been embarrassed by that fact, but he didn’t care. It felt as if he was getting to know the guy, and the more he ran into posts that were tagged as “personal,” the more and more Barry wanted to rush over to Cisco’s dorm to give him a huge hug. 

But that would totally be awkward and hard to explain, so he did the next best thing. He sent Cisco an anonymous message. 

 _hey, i hope this isn’t creepy or anything, but i’ve been going through your blog and i just…i find you an incredibly talented person! i’m sorry you’re going through some crappy stuff with your family, but you deserve to be recognized with your talent and incredible-ness. hope to see more dragon age fanart from you, because that one of Cassandra is absolutely amazing! okay bye!_    


Ugh, he was worse at typing out a message than actually talking. At least he didn’t have to deal with stumbling over his words or tripping over his own feet. Feeling his heart beating fast against his chest, Barry closed out of Cisco’s blog for the day just so he could refrain himself from refreshing the page a million times till Cisco answered the message. 

Barry was able to stay away from Cisco’s blog for the next couple of hours before he couldn’t take it any longer. He checked the blog and he let out a brief gasp when he saw that Cisco had answered. Thank god Barry didn’t have a roommate to constantly give him weird looks. 

**awww, wow. that is super sweet, yo. this is probably the nicest message i’ve ever gotten and i barely even get any messages! (i’m lame, i know.) just…yeah, thank you. i’m working on the family issues, but being away at college definitely helps. and i can totally do some more dragon age fanart! thank you again, sweet anon :)**

–

As Barry and Cisco messaged back and forth (or something close to that, if Barry sending them anonymously and Cisco publicly answering them counted) for the next several weeks, Barry had realized that he was most definitely crushing on Cisco. 

There was no way he was going to be able to talk to him in person now. 

But while Barry sat at his laptop in the campus coffee shop, hiding his face in his hands, he felt a soft tap to his shoulder. He jolted upwards, looking up in a panic (did he take someone’s seat? Was he hogging the outlet?) and his eyes widened to see a wide-smiling Cisco. 

Crap. 

“Hi,” Cisco said, tucking his hair behind his ears. “Barry, is it?” 

 _Double crap_. 

Barry’s heart never raced this fast. “Uhm–uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s me,” he said lamely, scratching the back of his neck. “Did you…did you want something?” 

This seem to make Cisco only grin at him, as if he knew something that Barry didn’t. He couldn’t have known it was Barry that was talking to him this whole time, could he? But Barry was always so careful, double, triple-checking to see that he certainly did send his messages anonymously. 

“Ah, so you’re my secret admirer,” Cisco was telling him as he took a seat right across from Barry, the grin still on his face. His beautiful, fantastic face, dammit. 

“What?” _Play it cool_ , Barry told himself, even though he felt like hyperventilating. His left leg was bouncing quickly under the table nervously, the palms of his hands getting sweatier by the second. _So not cool_ , he thought miserably. 

Cisco let out a laugh. “Sorry, dude,” he said. “I’m not trying to scare you or anything. I just wanted to come find you to say…thanks.” 

Barry wasn’t sure if that was supposed to calm him down or make him even more nervous. “Yo, h-how did you…?” he started to ask, but luckily Cisco was opening his mouth to explain himself. 

“I’ve been hacking since I was ten, man,” he said, and Barry couldn’t help but let out his own chuckle. “After a few messages, curiosity got the best of me and well…let’s just say I’ve known for a while.” 

“Oh god,” Barry groaned, sinking back into his seat as his face became red from embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean–I mean, I was just going through tags and I found you and I–” 

Shockingly, Cisco reached out an arm to rest his hand on top of Barry’s, which made Barry freeze, a chill going down his spine from the touch. 

“ _Thank you_ , Barry,” Cisco said quietly, biting onto his bottom lip. “Honestly. No one on that site talks to me, so…your messages made me happy. _Ridiculously_ happy. I hadn’t come looking for you before because…I don’t know, I was nervous.” 

Barry gave him an odd look, raising his eyebrows. “You serious? _You_ nervous? C’mon, a guy like you, there’s no way…” 

Cisco laughed, and holy shit was it the most beautiful sound Barry had ever heard. “Uhm, have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re a freakin’ hottie.” 

Barry started to blush even a deeper shade of red, especially when he realized that they were still holding hands, as he shook his head in protest. “Please, you’re the…hottie here.” 

“Fine, we’ll be hotties together,” Cisco told him, giving him a sly wink. “If you’d like that.” 

This time Barry was nodding his head rather enthusiastically. “Totally, dude. Yes. Yes, please. Uhm, I mean…I just…” 

Cisco smiled at him, giving his hand a squeeze. “Man, you are a hundred times more adorable in person,” he said. “Thank you…again. For sending me those messages. They’ve helped me get through the past few weeks and I sincerely appreciate it.” 

“Anytime,” Barry told him, unable to hold back the smile spreading across his face. “I kinda…I’ve grown to care about you and stuff, and…is that weird? Is it weird to say that I feel like I’ve known you?” 

Cisco shook his head. “Not at all weird,” he admitted. “I feel like I know you, too, from what you’ve told me. And now I have a pretty face to match that amazing personality.” He sent Barry a wink again and Barry used his other hand to cover his face. 

“Uhm, if you want,” Barry started to ask, licking his lips, “we can hang out sometime and get to know each other? In person this time?” 

Cisco grinned at this. “Totally.” 

Well–this was not what Barry was expecting at all, but man was he happy that Cisco actually knew who he was now.  


End file.
